Early Musical Training
James was born in Philadelphia in 1950 and began formal organ training at the age of 12. At the age of 16, he replaced his teacher, Leonard MacClain, in concert when the latter suffered a heart attack before the performance, and that exposure put him on an international touring circuit. James attended Indiana University's School of Music as a student of concert and church organ performance, earning his Bachelor's and Master's degrees under the tutelage of Dr. Oswald Ragatz.
James' interest in silent film performance with live music dates from 1969 at the Tower Theatre in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. As James recalls, "The late 'Flicker Fingers' himself, California touring theatre organist Gaylord Carter, was at the Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ console and on the screen Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. in The Mark of Zorro. In classic 'Chorus Line' fashion, I turned to my Dad at the end and said 'I can do that!'"
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